Men’s Basketball Scoreboard (Jan. 27)
Detroit 70, UIC 66
Wright State 47, Loyola 41
Detroit and Wright State matched each other throughout the weekend, each hanging on for victories on Friday night to get over the .500 mark in Horizon League men’s basketball action.
Detroit 70, UIC 66
Using runs in both halves to build double-digit leads, Detroit nearly saw it all slip away before making enough plays late to slip past UIC, 70-66, at Calihan Hall.
After UIC (6-15, 2-9 Horizon) got out to a 7-2 lead to start the game, Detroit (12-11, 6-5 Horizon) responded, outscoring the Flames, 35-15 the rest of the half to assume a 15-point halftime lead. Ray McCallum scored 14 of his game-high 26 in the opening frame, scoring seven straight in one stretch to help fuel a 21-8 closing burst to the half.
UIC steadily chipped away at the deficit in the second half, closing to 48-45 after a three-pointer from Sammy Sutter; Sutter’s trey was the last UIC field goal for a 7:18 stretch, though, and in that span Detroit rebuilt its lead to 61-48.
Eli Holman and Jason Calliste served as catalysts in the stretch, with Calliste sandwiching five points around a thunderous dunk from Holman off a McCallum feed.
Still, the Flames had one more run left as Daniel Barnes caught fire to knock down two three-pointers, bringing UIC within 66-61 with 1:26 to play. Missed free throws, turnovers and fouls sent the Flames to the free throw line, where Barnes hit 2-of-3 free throws to draw the Flames within 67-64 with 50 ticks showing on the clock.
Down 69-66 after Calliste split a pair of free throws, Barnes dialed up an attempt at a tie, but LaMarcus Lowe picked up the block to stymie Flames.
McCallum led all players with 26 points, adding six rebounds and four assists to his evening. Calliste finished with 12, while Holman came off the bench to record 16 points.
Gary Talton led UIC with 17 points; in two games against Detroit, Talton averaged 19.0 ppg this year. Barnes tallied 11 points, while Darrin Williams notched a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
The game was the 20th of the year in the Horizon League to be within a single possession in the final minute of regulation; UIC dropped to 3-7 this season in games decided by five points or less.
Wright State 47, Loyola 41
In a defensive struggle, Wright State received timely shooting to notch a 47-41 victory over Loyola at the Nutter Center.
Wright State (11-12, 6-5 Horizon) trailed for much of the second half before a 15-0 burst turned a 27-21 deficit into an insurmountable 36-27 lead. Julius Mays scored nine of his game-high 16 points in the spurt, getting Wright State started with a layup and jumper before A.J. Pacher’s jumper tied the game at 27.
As the half neared the halfway point, Armond Battle gave the Raiders a lead they would not relinquish, knocking down a three to make it a 30-27 game. Mays scored the next five points on a three-point play and jumper before a free throw from Battle closed the run.
Loyola (5-16, 0-11 Horizon) would respond with layups from Denzel Brito and Christian Thomas before a Joe Crisman triple brought the Ramblers within 40-36 with 3:28 left, but after a defensive stand, Cole Darling’s layup brought the Raider lead back to six.
Darling would knock down four free throws in the final 1:01 to help seal the game, finishing with eight points.
Battle joined Mays in double figures with 11 points, while Ben Averkamp and Jordan Hicks shared the Loyola lead with 10 points.
